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London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra graces Centennial

The world renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performed an emotionally packed two-and-a-half hour set Tuesday night to a nearly packed house in Centennial Hall.

Directed by music conductor Danielle Gatti, the 84-member orchestra, based in London's Naottingham's Royal Concert Hall, is currently on their U.S. tour.

Gatti, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra music conductor since 1996, gave an inspiring performance and took Tuesday's audience on an emotional roller coaster ride.

The program included three distinct parts, and each piece varied, giving the audience a taste of the many sounds the orchestra is capable of making.

The first part included Johannes Brahms' "St. Antoni Chorale." This was one of the first large-scale pieces Brahms did, but it didn't appear until three years after he composed it, later in the 1870s.

For the second part, the orchestra performed Richard Wagner's "Parsifal: Good Friday Spell." Originating from Wagner's opera "Parsifal," it is a tale about the Knights of the Holy Grail.

In this story, Parsifal must retrieve the spear that pierced Christ's side. The "Good Friday Spell" captures the moment when Parsifal prepares to become the leader of the Knights.

The third portion lasted a full hour - 20 minutes longer than the combined first two. The piece chosen for the third part was Aton Bruckner's Symphony No. 4 in E-flat, "Romantic."

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra captured Bruckner's simplistic style and captivated the audience. At times only a single drum, resembling a heartbeat could be heard.

The pensive ending climaxed and retreated multiple times, being simultaneously lighthearted and dark, until the grand finale when every instrument joined in unison.

Johanna Schmidtke, a biochemistry and math student, said the performance was entertaining.

"I love Bruckner and the way that it was performed tonight," she said. "I also liked the fact that the performance was a smaller group."

Another fan of Bruckner's was Sara Jane Stoner, a violinist from Smith College in Massachusetts.

"I really enjoyed Bruckner's piece," she said. "This Orchestra gets a really good string section sound,"

Stoner added that she thought the entire show was "fabulous."

The rest of the audience agreed, giving Gatti and the Orchestra a standing ovation.

Mandy Redig, a biochemistry and creative writing student, thought the orchestra did a good job of balancing their sound.

"The orchestra showed off their talent tonight as a group," Redig added.

The orchestra continues on with its tour in the United States throughout January and February.